My boyfriend is a native Angeleno (that's LA-born for you non-Californians) and an avid surfer. On one of our first dates he thought it would be a good idea to take me surfing with him in San Onofre, near San Diego. Unbeknownst to him at the time, I'm of the Type-A variety, so riding unpredictable waves wouldn't be an activity that I'd ever seek out (let alone be caught dead in a wetsuit, which is about as flattering and sexy as a unitard). Anyways, he paddled us out with me on the front of his long board, and through runny mascara and a forced smile I remember thinking, "Are we having fun yet?"

Now that he actually knows me, he's blown away that I ever got in the water with him and we still laugh about it. I'm happy to help him wax his board with biodegradable surf wax and then wave to him from the beach.

-LA Editor Molly...off to "surf" in Dana Point this weekend with my beau...

I tried to find a common thread here, but came up empty-handed. Hope you enjoy our genre-busting, Biter-iffic springtime mix...

1.       Life of Everything by Larkin Gayl (Co-founder Heather)

2.       Hello Bonjour by Michael Franti (Co-founder Jen)

3.       Where Do You Go To by Peter Sarstedt (Editorial Director Jenifer)

4.       Fly Paper by k-os (SF Editor Mike)

5.       Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks (SF Intern Natalie)

6.       Rich Girls by the Virgins (LA Editor Molly)

7.       Paper Planes by MIA (LA Intern Aaron)

8.       Be Easy by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (Chicago Editor Alison)

9.       Fake It by Seether (NYC Editor Beth)

10.     New Soul by Yael Naim (Marketing Manager Hilary)

11.     Shake the Chandelier by the Gourds (Bozeman Intern Jen H.)

12.     If I Had Eyes by Jack Johnson (Graphic Designer Kinsey)

13.     Perfume by Patrick Fletcher (Senior Sales Exec Kay)

14.     Reasons to Love You by Meiko (Production Manager Elisa)

15.     Killalady by Justine Electra (Assistant Editor Hanah)

16.     Collarbone by Fujiya & Miyagi (Assistant Editor Hanah, again, who charmed me into letting her include two songs)

17.     Jeopardy by the Greg Kihn Band (me, Toshio)

-Toshio...off to finish up my playlist for a club night happening this Saturday at SF's dive-y Deco Lounge....

A few weeks ago, I watched a few of the undersea episodes of the amazing Planet Earth series, including the one where they happen upon a vampire squid. So there's a crappy YouTube video of it, but the proper footage from the DVD is far more impactful.

Anyway, it truly blew my mind, changed my perspective on the world just like the idea of black holes or the idea of gravity affecting time.

How does this relate to farm sanctuaries? Well, the fact is that animals are amazing - even the less exotic ones. They make the world more interesting. And it's worth taking the time to notice, even better if you can help them out in the process.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to take a gander at a goose...

I'm working intently 9-6 (all for you, Heather and Jen), but I do take time out to send the occasional Someecards.com ecard to an officemate. I'll know the recipient has opened the ecard because they'll break the stifling silence that tends to pervade the office with a massive laugh.

They even have some eco-themed ones:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Exhibit D

-Toshio...off to get the memo...

PS. See the Biter team make some moves in JibJab ecards here and here.

We've posted Radar magazine's "100 ways we're trying to go green" on one of the doors in our SF office.

I think you'll find #63 especially relevant.

-Toshio...off to respond to a million confused emails...

During this year's Earth Hour, I'll be in beautiful Bodega Bay (yep, where The Birds was filmed). Barring any deadly avian attacks, I plan to pour myself a cocktail and kick back on the porch to admire the night sky. No candles, no big event...just me, the stars, our half-full moon, and the sound of the sea.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to look to the skies...

My family's amassed a mother lode of perfectly usable basketballs, surfboards, and ski wear over the years.

Sooner or later, it'll get donated to Goodwill - and I was thinking: If I ever need to buy sports equipment for future kids in my life, used gear makes sense - and not just because it's cheaper. It took me a while to break in those baseball mitts, and whoever gets to them first is one lucky son-of-a, because like a good deck of cards, most sports equipment is best when it's already played a few games.

-Toshio...off to score some points...

Last week I went skiing in beautiful Lake Tahoe. And after reading a good chunk of global warming research last year, I took great joy (I mean, more than usual) in spending a week outside, surrounded by snow. It was just plain fun, totally rejuvenating. 

It's great to see the National Ski Areas Association working toward making sure we can all continue shoop-shooping for years to come. Check out its Sustainable Slopes environmental charter.  Tons of major ski areas have signed on, including one of my favorite little gems, Mt. Rose.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to indulge in a little après work cocktail...

When setting the table, I don't usually use a ruler to make sure the wine glasses are set exactly ½-inch above the placemat, but folding a good napkin has always been a point of pride for me (sad, isn't it?). For years I kept it simple - the silverware pocket, the odd Cardinal's hat - now I'm focusing on my swan and butterfly technique.

When I nail those, I'm thinking of expanding my repertoire to towel folding, and I'm going to start with the hilarious-looking book The Lost Art of Towel Origami just so I can tell guests I have an elephant in the bathroom (ba-dum-bum).

-Jenifer Morgan...off to fold some laundry...

Check it out, and if you have any eco-lodge recommendations, sound off in the comments.

- Toshio...off to plan my next vacation...

Summer, 1996.  Writing grad school thesis while living at home with the parents.   Thesis was on the OJ Simpson verdict.  If I read the thesis now, I'd have no idea what I was even saying.

However, I DO remember one of my favorite quotes of all time... sitting in my backyard, chatting with my mom, I was probably babbling about whichever hottie celeb I was crushing on at the time (Matthew M?  David Duchovny?).  Eventually, Mom laughed, and said:

"Heather, you're never going to have a real relationship - your fantasy life is too rich and nothing could measure up."

Hilarious at the time, today, I sometimes wonder if she didn't hit that particular nail on the head.

-Heather... off to LA (NOT to stalk Leo)...

A few summers ago when I was an intern in DC, I had political aspirations. All of us interns were pretty ambitious, and whether our sights were set on a Nigerian ambassadorship, a seat in the Minnesota House, or the UN Secretary-Generalship, we knew that there were certain skills we were gonna need to get there, like the ability to match Senators' names with their states, and schmoozing.

I'm OK at making small talk - don't really enjoy it (I doubt I'm unique in that respect) - but in DC the schmooze factor was above and beyond anything I'd experienced growing up on the West Coast. The Intern Coordinator of the non-profit I was working for said that in order to make it as a schmoozer - and by extension, in politics - I'd need to become an expert on one of two things: wine or golf, neither of which sounded appealing at the time.

On the wine count: I've always been more of a beer drinker and I'm no good at spontaneously coming up with adjective-heavy verbiage to describe what I'm drinking ("harmonious aromatics hinting at ripe apricots, with a subtle trace of waxy botrytis," anyone?).

On the golf count: I'm not really into golf either, though I can appreciate the fact that without it, miniature golf, golf carts, and all those good times with my dad and uncle on the driving range wouldn't exist.

Thus, my desire to usurp Kofi Annan's position at the UN has been put on hold - for now. But as sustainability becomes more and more integral to the concept of political correctness, wannabe politicians are gonna have to start stepping it up from an eco-perspective and taking the environment into consideration in everything they do.

Lucky for them, when their Intern Coordinator asks, "Wine or golf?" they've now got their choice of schmoozing topics: biodynamic wine or eco-golf. Which would you choose?

-Toshio... off to Google mini-golf courses in the Bay Area...

My brother even wrote the name on it in permanent marker.  A birthday present for my first double-digit birthday (which I remember thinking was so momentous), it was yellow and black and perfect.

Years later, my next bike was a Gary Fisher bright green mountain bike that never saw much of the mountains but was a killer ride to race up the beach from Santa Monica to Malibu, chasing the setting sun.  Let me tell you - THAT bike has seen the world, traveling with me from LA to London, from London to San Jose, from San Jose to NYC, from NYC to SF.  When I say that it has seen the world, I should clarify - it's seen my apartments and storage spaces - because in each of those places, it sat, collecting dust and rusting.

But all you Bikers here in SF are inspiring me, and I'm thinking that my trusty ol' Gary Fisher needs not only a name, but also a new chain and some tires.  Just watch me dust it off and start to fly.

And if any of you are looking for a great city bike, check out Jorg and Olif - gorgeous bikes made in the Netherlands (and those people know their bikes).  Just enter or say BITER during checkout and recieve a 5% discount during April.

-Heather... off to look up bicycle repair shops...

I will admit something that I probably shouldn't:  I cry when I see animals being hurt, but not humans.  

Now that is off my chest, I will confess something else:  I never had a crush on the zoo keeper as the tip said.  Heather was just in a snarky mood and wanted to pretend that I like men that shovel shitakes.

Here's the rub:  zoos do give children an experience with extreme forms of nature, and therefore hopefully an appreciation for it.  But my god I do hate the look in the apes' eyes as they sit behind the glass.  They are so FREAKING smart and we have them caged like a gold fish?  I even shed a little tear for fish in small bowls too.

So I don't know ... where would a kid from the Bronx be able to see nature if not a zoo? And would it be fair to take that away from them?  BITERS sound off.. I really don't know where I stand on this.  Thanks for your thoughts.  - JB

So Biters, we are having a running debate here at the Bite.  We're trying to decide whether or not there would be a benefit to having more local content for you readers. 

On the one hand, communities inspire - it's so easy to get your friends to adopt something in your backyard.  And seeing the fruits of one's labors inspires.  And of course, supporting local businesses that have their hearts in the right places... you can never go wrong there.

 But we'd love to hear from you - is there enough local green content/services/products/inspiration to justify a tip JUST for you, in your area?  If yes, where are ya? If no, is the blog a good place to start to have those local options?

-Heather... off to plan an outing to Yield, my local, sustainable wine bar...

But there is one catch to my wholehearted appreciation of the sign: I love TV.

Oooooh I love it love it love it. Really, I do. I wish I could be all high-minded and proper and do my intellect a service and make you all realize that really - underneath my pop-culture obsessiveness - I'm a reasonably intelligent girl... but the fact is, I love TV.

Whether fearing for Charlie's drug addiction on "Lost" or salivating over the gentlemen (um, er) of Prison Break or getting religiously sucked in to absolutely ANYTHING that HBO confers on us (can I just say a little "AMEN" for HBO bringing us all back to quality programming?)... I'm a sucker for TV dramas. And here's the thing - they've gotten really, really good after a multi-year death march through a desert of shitty reality TV.

So it is with great pain that I adopt one of my New Year's Resolutions: to cut my TV consumption in half. It's not that I watched so much, or that it's draining my brain (I mean, really - where else would I have learned about the length of time it takes a blowfly to hatch if Gil Grissom hadn't told me?)... It's just that I assume that there is a bigger world out there to explore, and since I spend my days staring at a screen of one sort, it occurs to me that perhaps I should spend more of my evenings interacting with real human beings.

Still, I don't know how I will break it to Sheriff Bullock that we are splitting up. He's gonna be crushed.

-Heather... off to make a list of things to do with all my newfound time...

You know, at the Bite we try to give you a fresh, sometimes funny perspective and dialog into what we call "light green living" (ie: keep it real, treehuggers - no one is perfect.)

And there are certainly enough enviro non profs that will give you sample letters to Senators and such, but the team really felt that this issue was such a no brainer, that stodgy big utility companies really needed a wakeup call, and maybe a letter coming from you - not generated by an automated email system, will start to get the message heard.

Here's to a powerful, green, prosperous, balanced and alt-energy filled 2007! - Jen

SAMPLE LETTER:

To Whom It May Concern,

I recently learned about green power through an Ideal Bite Daily Tip. Some energy providers offer options such as solar and wind power to their subscribers. My question to you is, do you have plans to make these kinds of options available locally?

You're probably aware that conventional power plants (such as coal) are responsible for more air pollution than any other source in the US. An EPA study released in 2004 concluded that 22,000 deaths could be prevented each year if more utilities took advantage of available new technologies in place of coal.

From a financial standpoint, it seems like it would make sense for utility companies as well - just consider that some of the nation's largest companies (like FedEx Kinko's, HSBC Bank and Kohl's) are already purchasing green power. More businesses (and residential customers like me) are sure to follow.

Please let me know if plans are in the works!

Eagerly awaiting your response,

[Your John Hancock]

OK, so I am supposed to talk about libraries in the blog here today, but I'd really rather talk about GreenFest SF.  Suffice to say, I was a huge library afficionado my whole life.  I remember EXACTLY how the library in Troy, Montana smelled.  I remember walking down to it with my mom, heading straight to the kid's section, being so excited each week as I magically swapped out old treasures for new.

So, libraries rule.  Not a lot more to say about it.  The end.

Instead, I'd like to shout out to all of you who stopped by our booth at GreenFest in SF this weekend.  You are truly inspirational, and you make everything we do each day so worth it.  Some specific call-outs:

Elisa - we love your enthusiasm, your Biter shirt, your "I want to be on the team members' page" line.

Tim Henry - any Biter who remembers us from last year is a friend for life.

Jen and Ursula and Rowan and Margaret and all of you who came by or grabbed us in the hall for photos or hugs, and everyone who brought friends by the booth and let us know that you were "changing your life one Bite at a time"...

You're the reason the world's a better place.  You're the reason we do this.  And we are so, so honored that you are Biters.

-Heather... off to data entry the 1000+ new Biter names we signed up at the conference...

You either are a green closet geek, or you know one.

Heather and I are definitely green closet geeks.  I sent her a copy of Natural Capitalism (aka: Nat Cap) once as a present and she couldn't put it down. I think I saw highlighter marks too.   

Anyway tonight I had the honor of speaking at the Bioneers conference. It was at Bioneers six years ago where I "discovered" Paul Hawken.  He was berating a dude from Dupont for essentially greenwashing. It was such a turn on.

Tonight I listened to his closing speech and was just so amazed. He too has evolved.  He spoke about having no enemies in this environmental mission. And that of course resonated, as we don't believe in finger shaking at Ideal Bite, but clearly he is talking about race, about religion, about life.  He has now become the peaceful warrior.  He did a visionary bit on "imagine if"... and then went into a world based upon Salmon Nation. He asked to be Undersecretary of the Owls.  Such a hoot.

Anyway, it's true. I do have an eco-crush on Paul. He is so stupendously smart, and he puts it to good use, and never yields or settles. But beautifully evolves.  Like nature. ahhhh.

Off to dream of Paul. - JB

Heather’s Must-Have Downloads (aka: I’d put these on a mix for a yoga class - yes a yoga class - if I were still teaching):

• How to Save a Life – The Fray
• Some of them are Nice Days – The Honey Brothers
• All These Things that I’ve Done – The Killers
• The Heart of Life – John Mayer
• Hard to Concentrate – Red Hot Chili Peppers
• The Long Way Around – Dixie Chicks
• I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Death Cab for Cutie
• Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
• Where Does the Good Go – Tegan and Sara
• Flying High – Jem

Go get ‘em, folks!  Downloading is a win-win: avoid songs you don’t want while you throw away your television-I-mean-CD-packaging... (first person to comment in the blog with the right answer - band name - to that italicized music reference gets a Biter tee...)

-Heather… off to BLARE "All These Things that I’ve Done…"

My junior high science teacher is the person who submitted today’s tip on solar camp gear.  He’s an avid camper – taking students on float trips to learn about Lewis and Clark, spending weeks on end in Yellowstone...  When it comes to camping, he knows his stuff.  When it comes to teaching, he also knows his stuff, and often teaches it wearing a little hat with a propeller on top.

I, on the other hand, haven’t been camping since 1999.  At that time, I ran around the San Juan Islands, which are painfully, deliciously gorgeous.  Just don’t ever get into an argument with a Canadian about whether or not the Islands should be part of the US.  Trust me on this one.

-Heather… off to pack more boxes…

Every so often, when sitting on a barstool, or crouching in a yoga position, someone invariably says to me (usually in a shocked voice): "Heather!  You have a tattoo!"

My favorite thing about this exclamation is the fact that they say it as if I didn't know - somehow they believe they're illuminating for me the haunting truth that someone held me down and drove needles of ink into my body without my knowledge.

My second favorite part of this whole discussion is the fact that people continue to be shocked by it.  As though it was some hugely transgressive action that warrants a disclaimer.  For some reason, my "girl next door" Montana self is inconsistent with a simple tatt on my lower back.

For me, the tattoo is one of the least transgressive things I feel like I have ever done.  I thought it out for a long while.  Had a friend design it.  Shopped around for the best tattoo artist in SF to do it.  Took great care in healing it (unlike the 3 times I've had my navel pierced and rejected it).  There was nothing spontaneous or rash or rebellious about that choice.

To me, it's just an inked world, and these days, a tattoo is no more transgressive than an ear piercing (or 5, as the case may be).

So ink away, people.

-Heather... off to dream of anchors and hearts with arrows and the word "Mom" ...

I have recently self-diagnosed myself with A.D.D. I think a lot of people have it, and it is induced by how we live, not a mal-functioning of the brain.  I mean, this whole multi-tasking thing is sick, and I am a definite junkie - so believe me I speak with raw emotion.

For example, I had to upgrade my computer because my old one was always crashing when I had more than 5 things running.  Hello! How could I play iTunes, work on 3 different MS Word documents, be crafting an Excel chart to show off to Heather, pretending to help our artist pick colors in PhotoShop, etc etc with only a max of five? 

Long way of saying that magazines are just my speed.  Love them and their little articles. Besides ODE being the smartest, coolest magazine on Earth content wise, they also rock serious Kasbah because their articles are so short.

And soon I might actually get a VK.. where I can actually finish a whole issue of ODE... wow how amazing and exciting. Not going to the beach but to the lake to be with my best friends in the world in Atlanta... oh wait, I still have to be in a bathing suit, I should really stop eating ‘this here' brie with a fork.

Off to read for 3 seconds before I fall asleep. Jen

So I went to an event tonight where Al Gore spoke about his film "An Inconvenient Truth."  (Full disclosure: I haven't yet seen the film.  I promised I'd attend with a friend, so I am going later this weekend).

But let me tell ya - that Al?  He's good on a stage.  And I don't care what your political affinity is - you should see this movie.

Seriously - from where I sit, one of the best things you can do to help the greening of the world is to make this film a blowaway success.  We all know how celebrity/Hollywood has an insane impact on the public consciousness.  And I don't mean to suggest that this is the best medium through which to educate or that everyone will leave the theatre with a new insight into life on the planet (although I am sure they will).  What I mean is that - if this film becomes a huge financial success - the ongoing press alone will set in motion a chain of events that could have an enormous impact.

In the end, it's too bad that actors seemingly have more power than politicians - that Hollywood's megaphone is more powerful than an NGO's.  But that just is the world as we know it.

So let's use it to our advantage.

Click here to find a theatre near you showing An Inconvenient Truth.

-Heather... off to dream of pirates (you have to have read today's tip for that one to make sense)...

But after a long day of tech troubleshooting, I'm feeling a bit tired and sappy, so instead, I'll say this:

It may be a day of gluttony and guzzling.  It may be a foolish sporting event full of waste, and sure - all our time could be better spent elsewhere, I am sure.

But for one day, an unbelievable number of people all look at the same thing at the same time, share the same experience, react to the same images.  For a few hours, the collective energy of a vast variety of Americans from different walks of life, with different political bents and favorite teams is focused in one single direction.

Good god.  Imagine if we could just harness that energy somehow.  Who'd need oil?

-Heather... off to send out a very, very belated tip...

We've said it before, we'll say it again. Solar toys are the adult Cabbage Patch Kid/Furbies/Pokemon Cards of the 2005 holiday season. By this time next year, everyone will be charging their iPods and cell phones while walking down the street, so if you want to stay cool and cutting edge, you better get your solar toys this season.

Since we heart solar toys here at the Bite today (oh yes), here's a little list of some of the best the industry has to offer:

• Reware Juice Bag
• Voltaic Systems

• Mr. Light - Christmas Lights
• Gaiam Outdoor Spotlights

• Solio
• Reware Power Pockets

Or... be the BMOC with the biggest toy on the block - kit out your whole house. Get a contractor to install a roof system and get a 30% tax credit starting January 1^st (up to $2,000): http://www.findsolar.com/index.php.

So listen, Biters, every two minutes the sun beams as much energy down on Earth as everyone on it generates in a year... go grab yourself some.

OK, so let's be honest here. I can't write a blog on being a hipster. As anyone can tell you, I don't fit the mold. Oh sure, I have my moments. And I'm not fashion-challenged (anymore, in any case). But ask me to wander Williamsburg or the Lower East Side, and I become painfully aware of how tragically unhip I truly am. (And neither of those places is even the center of hipster-dom anymore now, so again, I flail).

Thus, instead of pretending I can speak authoritatively on the subject, I've decided to latch onto one of the bullets in the Wanna Try section: Vintage t-shirts.

Vintage tees are amazing. My sister-in-law got a great Rolling Stones one to wear to their recent concert. I'm forever on a hunt for a � sleeve baseball tee version from the 70s. eBay makes everything so, so easy...

ALMOST as great as vintage tees are non-vintage, all-organic, vegetable-based ink tees by the great guys at TS Designs. The Bite loves their stuff. And strangely enough, TS Designs just HAPPENED to make the Ideal Bite "Biter" tees... ahem.

Here's a pic of our fabulous designer and her fabulous husband (and Biter Blogger) in one of said tees (click it for a better view).

And we are selling them, just in time for the holidays. Should you want to buy one ($25 including shipping in the US), feel free to drop us an email at tees@idealbite.com and we'll get one out to you! (Note: the women's shirts are made for little tiny people who must live in dollhouses. If you normally wear a medium baby-doll style woman's tee, get a large. Men's, on the other hand, run about a size too big. Go figure).

-Heather... off to sleep in my Biter tee...